Justin Carmical, a YouTube personality who, under the name “JewWario,” posted instructional videos on importing and playing Japanese video games on western consoles, died on Thursday. Carmical’s wife said on Facebook that he took his own life; he was 42.

1 January 2014

” link=”lightbox” size=”xlarge” align=”center” nocrop=”true” clear=”true”]
A well liked member of the fighting game community died two days before Christmas. His colleagues are paying tribute and holding a fund raiser to help his grandmother pay for funeral costs.

19 November 2011

Gary Garcia, who teamed with Jerry Buckner to perform the 1982 hit “Pac-Man Fever”, a song synonymous with 1980s pop culture and America’s early love affair with arcade gaming, died yesterday at his home in Englewood, Fla. He was 63.

31 January 2011

In 1995, Enix America closed, throwing plans for an English release of Dragon Quest VI into doubt. “I may not live long enough to see Dragon Quest VI,” wrote one fan. She wasn’t exaggerating. She was 76 at the time.

30 December 2010

Brigitte Burdine, a casting director with credits spanning World of Warcraft, Killzone 2 and Mortal Kombat, was killed early this morning in a hit-and-run accident as she was walking home from a late-night date with her boyfriend. She was 48.

Well known and admired for her work in an industry dominated by male co-workers and consumers, Burdine’s games development work spanned more than a decade. Her IMDB profile lists the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot as her most current project. She had worked on PS3 exclusives such as ModNation Racers, Infamous, Killzone 2 and the SOCOM series before that.

Police said Burdine was struck at the corner of Culver Boulevard and Pershing Drive at 1:45 a.m. as she was walking home from the Shack, a hamburger stand in Marina Del Ray. Police assume she’d been out on a date. The suspect vehicle is said to be a dark sedan, and should have front-end damage from the impact. Burdine was taken to a hospital but soon pronounced dead from her injuries.

Los Angeles police have appealed to the public for anyone who saw the accident, or has knowledge of it, to contact investigators.

29 May 2010

Gary Coleman, best known for his role as Arnold in the 1970s-1980s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes died today of injuries he suffered in a fall at his Utah home. Coleman, who also appeared in 2003’s Postal 2, was 42.

21 April 2010

Keith Elam, a hip-hop artist who performed under the name Guru, died Monday after ending a long battle with cancer. Elam voiced 8-Ball, the demolitions artist with whom the protagonist escapes at the very beginning of Grand Theft Auto III.